Handling disposable medical devices with sharp piercing needles can be extremely risky for healthcare workers, providers, and patients. For example, any accidental needle puncture of the skin can expose a person, e.g. a healthcare worker, to pathogens such as hepatitis, HIV, or other infectious diseases, while exposing the employer, e.g., the hospital, to liability and treatment costs. It is imperative that steps be taken in the design of equipment for starting an intravenous line to eliminate the risk of an accidental stick. Accordingly, providing safe and convenient handling of such devices to reduce the risk of accidental needle sticks is a goal of manufacturers of needle devices.
One type of safety needle for starting an intravenous line is presently in use. After venous puncture the needle is withdrawn from the vein, leaving a capillary tube in the vein. The needle is captured in two interlocked plastic housings and is completely covered. The technician controls this action by pulling on a third tube which is attached to the needle by a plastic flexible filament. The technician, after disposing of the captured needle and tubes in a wall mounted sharps container, finally secures the capillary tube left in the vein. Medication for the patient flows through this tube.
The parts of this prior art device are bulky and, when discarded into a sharps container, reduce the quantity of the used needles which the container can hold when compared to a design having less bulky parts. This prior art device, therefore, increases the cost per needle of the sharps container and of the subsequent handling and destruction of the sharps container. Accordingly, a device that takes up less space in the sharps container is believed desirable. Furthermore, removal and disposal of the used needle occurs at a critical time—before securing the capillary tube in the patient's vein. Thus the goals of the present invention include the use of smaller and lower-cost parts, lowering the costs to the user, and enabling technician attention to secure the venous capillary prior to disposal of the protected needle.